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A free browser extension that can restore the dislike count on YouTube videos is facing user backlash for allegedly introducing pop-up ads.
Return YouTube Dislike emerged in 2021 after YouTube decided to hide the dislike count from public view to prevent online harassment. The extension, which is available for the major browsers including Chrome and Firefox, has attracted over 20 million unique daily users.
But this week, users began noticing the extension serving up pop-ups. One of them opened a side-window next to a YouTube video, encouraging the user to unlock the extension’s “Premium” version by donating to the developer’s Patreon page for $5 per month.
(Credit: PCMag)
When it initially rolled out, the pop-up could also persist or fail to close, according to users.
A second pop-up opened a new tab in the browser, promoted the extension’s “Premium Release,” and encouraging the user to upgrade by donating on Patreon. In response, some users criticized the pop-ups as intrusive “ads,” leading to a surge in negative reviews for the extension.
(Credit: PCMag)
“You became the exact thing you were meant to fight against, greedy sleazy corporate bullcrap,” wrote one user on the Chrome Web Store. “I thought I [caught] some kind of malware, when the new page opened itself with ‘premium upgrade’ offer,” wrote a separate user.
The extension can display the pop-ups since users must agree to give it permission to read and change data, although the software has been designed with safeguards to prevent user surveillance or excessive data collection.
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In the face of the backlash, the extension’s developer, Dmitry Selivanov, said his software had simply become too costly to run, forcing him to come up with a way to increase donations. “I understand the annoyance with the paid feature. But the backend serves 20 million unique daily users with a database of 15+ TB—on a budget of $400 patreon donations (which are falling down),” he wrote on Wednesday in his Discord server dedicated to the extension.
The server costs are likely high because the extension works by pulling archived data that Selivanov collected before YouTube shut off the dislike count. In addition, the extension has been storing and fetching dislike counts that users have placed for new videos since 2021.
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Selivanov adds that he made a mistake with the pop-ups’ original implementation, causing them to become more intrusive than he intended. “Sorry for the full-blown ad tab, this was supposed to be a changelog—opening on browser restart—not a new tab in the middle of whatever you’re doing,” he also wrote.
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He’s issued a fix to address the complaints, but Selivanov still told PCMag: “There’s a good chance that users will experience the issue until Monday or Tuesday,” since it can take time for an update to roll out over the Chrome Web Store. That said, the extension’s setting panel does include an option to “hide the premium teaser panel.” The pop-ups were also only designed to display once, even without the fix.
He added: “The costs for running the extension (with absolute cut down on everything, normally I’d prefer a bit more spent on backup infrastructure, etc) are 600$ monthly.”
Selivanov’s goal was to never anger users, merely to raise more funds from the crowd willingly to pay. But he conceded: “Well, I managed to completely botch the ‘wouldn’t bother free users’ part. Partially due to the bug, and partially due to bad judgement.”
Due to the controversy, some users say they’ve uninstalled the extension, but others sympathize with Selivanov. His Patreon donations have since grown to $831 per month, up from over $400.
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Michael Kan
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I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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